Yeah. I have taken a look at the i5 NUC and it only seems worth it if we are sponsored one by Intel. An i5 would actually be faster because it is hyperthreading, meaning it actually behaves like a quad core system, and an x86_64 system is very fast. One advantage of ARM is that the processors are well priced and you don't end up shelling out $400 on a processor. I believe that is because of the licensing; ARM inc. doesn't seem to charge as much as the x86 equivalent, in the forms of licensing. Also, since the system is a PoP, it is much smaller, faster and more efficient, even at lower bus speeds. The NUC is manufactured by Intel, and (no offense to anyone) Intel has their hardware very pricey. I believe the base model, with a Celeron is $200. Plus, you need to get mSATA SSD and some RAM. The only time an NUC is great is when you absolutely require Windows.
The ODROID, in the other hand, is quite cheap, with the U3 of ~$60. That is quite cheap compared to the NUC, because the U3 has quite a powerful chipset!
My code is Visual C++, but the conversion to Linux C++ should be simple because I don't really use the extra features that VC++ adds. Otherwise, I also have the ability to run my code in Mono/Wine.
Also, the fact that most ARM chips are unlocked is splendid. These computers need only about a 30 minute uptime at competitions, so overclocking at ~2-2.1GHz is not just something to dream about, but a possibility!
If we get an SBC, I will actually have a freshman do the work for me because it is on my list to teach a freshman artificial intelligence, and more advanced computer science, and some precalc is fun too. I have been working on some courseware that I wish to deploy to kids in Elementary school because what is more better than an army or uber-intelligent middle-schoolers?
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I will also have the Freshman port my code to Linux because that will force him/her to read through the code and get a basic understanding of how it works!